A cartridge arrangement for a disc drive generally comprises a disc which is either flexible or rigid (hard) and which is coated with a material upon which information can be stored magnetically or optically. A housing is provided about the disc to protect the disc from environmental contamination. The disc is mounted on a hub which is in turn mounted through the housing such that the hub can engage with the spindle of a disc drive unit. The housing includes an aperture for allowing reading and recording heads to have access through the housing to the disc. The housing further includes a door arrangement which closes over the aperture when the cartridge arrangement is not in use to prevent contamination from entering the housing.
In designing a cartridge arrangement, there are several considerations which the prior art does not adequately take into account. First, the cartridge must be designed in such a way that the possibility of contaminations entering the housing is minimized. Second, the cartridge must be designed in such a way that the door arrangement, which closes over the aperture when the cartridge arrangement is not in use, can be accurately positioned in an open position so that the door does not interfere with the orderly placement of the read/write heads into contact with the disc. Third, the cartridge arrangement must be designed so that the user cannot accidentally or intentionally open the door, potentially contacting the disc and destroying data stored thereon.
The present invention takes into consideration these shortcomings of prior cartridge arrangements.